BLOG TOUR: BEARD IN HIDING by Penny Reid

 

Beard in Hiding, the USA Today bestselling companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pies series is LIVE! Penny Reid delivers a heartfelt romantic comedy about two lost souls who find love in the most unexpected way.  

Propositioning the Iron Wraiths’ money man seemed like a good idea at the time…

Diane Donner—recently divorced pillar of polite society—is craving danger. She’s tired of playing it safe and she knows just the sexy criminal motorcycle man to proposition for a good time. Problem is, she doesn’t actually know his name.

Jason “Repo” Doe never takes risks. So when the queen of local commerce walks into his club, looking to get risky and frisky, Jason knows the smartest thing to do is save himself a headache while saving the new divorcee from her worst impulses.

But then one thing leads to another, and the memory of just-one-night doesn’t feel like enough.

Theirs is a story with no future, because how can a dangerous criminal win (and keep) a queen?

‘Beard In Hiding’ is book #4.5 in the Winston Brothers series, is a full length contemporary romantic comedy about two lost souls in their 40s, and is a companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series.

If you want to get the full immersive Green Valley world experience, I recommend reading ‘Truth or Beard,’ ‘Beard Science,’ ‘Engagement and Espionage,’ and ‘Marriage and Murder’ beforehand. ‘Beard In Hiding’ contains spoilers for these four books (in specific).

Grab your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3snwR4z

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2VU86B5

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3j1f1jJ

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2TDE7fI

Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/3cJW2rb

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3i6y4tI

Nook: https://bit.ly/3781FMQ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3l6JQ9q

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2URVrOW

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3xa6Ma2

Excerpt

“Just say it, Diane.”

“Fine.” She lifted her chin. “I want someone to court me.”

And there it was. I continued staring at her, counting the seconds as they ticked by. Why she couldn’t just say, I don’t want you, you’re not good enough for me, I had no idea. Did she think I needed to be let down gently? 

Well, now. That would be a first.

“I want dinners and flowers,” she went on. “And picnics and romantic gestures. I don’t want to constantly be making excuses for someone, for their lack of ability or skill or generosity.”

I deadened the needlingly ache behind my ribcage, suffocated thoughts and desires long abandoned. “Diane. You don’t need to say anything else.”

“I don’t?” Her features brightened and she approached the arm of the couch. “You understand what I mean?”

“Yes. You mean you don’t want me.” And that was fine, and it made sense, and I wasn’t going to dwell on it, and now I needed to go.

“What?” she snapped, her head tilting to the side like she needed to inspect me from a different angle. “No! No, you irritating man. Did I say that? That’s not at all what I’m saying.”

“Then what do you mean?” I glanced over her head toward the room’s exit, impatient to leave. I didn’t belong here, and I’d rather be stranded outside in a snowstorm than accept any more of her charity. 

“I mean, I want you.” 

My eyes cut back to hers and as I waited for the but—because there was always a but—I ignored the tightness seizing my lungs, the hope.  

When she kept on looking at me, as though expecting a reaction, I prompted, “But?”

“But nothing.” She placed her hands on her hips, her tone salty, impatient.

What? “There’s always a ‘but.’”

“Fine. Yes. Okay. There is a ‘but.’” Her eyes moved like she might roll them, but stopped when they reached the ceiling. “I want you. But . . . only if you want me the same way.”

I stared at her and that’s all I could do because I was so damn confused. 

Meanwhile, she peaked at me, nibbling her bottom lip, looking so goddamn gorgeous in her little nighty.

“Do you . . . want me?” The uncertainty in her voice, the vulnerability, hit low in my stomach.

“Pardon?” I choked out because, was hers a real question? How could she not know how much I wanted her? Hadn’t I just kissed the hell out of her? Hadn’t her breast just filled my palm? Hadn’t I just literally said the words, I want you? 

Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips and she stepped fully around the couch, her eyes huge. “I’ve been in a lonely, one-sided romance before. I don’t want that. I want something deep, something meaningful for both people involved. I’m not saying we have to get married. Lord knows, I’ve had enough of marriage to last a lifetime. I don’t think I’ll ever get married again. What I’m talking about is something real, authentic, passionate, but also—above all else—loving. Because what I’ve never had, what I’ve never known, is that.”

“I . . . don’t understand.”

Diane took a deep breath and then said loudly, “I want a relationship,” like the words were a painful confession and the only way she could speak it out loud was by shouting them.

I stared at her for a moment longer before finally asking, “With who?”

Her lips twitched. “With you.”

What? “With me.”

“Yes. But a real one, not just—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—not just sex.”

I barely heard a word she’d said, instead repeating, “With me,” again because the idea was absurd. A relationship with me? Is she crazy?

“Yes. With you. As I’ve said.”

“But . . . Why?”

“What do you mean why?” She frowned. It was severe. “Have you met you?”

About Penny Reid

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

Find Penny online

Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

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Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

Connect with Smartypants Romance

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Review: Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid

Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions are my own. This book was published November 16, 2021 and is available for purchase now.

We were first introduced to the concept of Diane Donner and Mr. Repo in a short story during the holidays of 2016. Penny wrote a short story that was posted on Nocturnal Book Reviews. It can also be found in A Beardy Bonus: Bonus and deleted scenes from the Winston Brothers Series, which is a collection of all of the short stories and bonus content from the Pennyverse. As the synopsis states, this is not really a standalone, you will want to have read Truth or Beard, Beard Science, Engagement and Espionage, and Marriage and Murder prior to reading this to really get an understanding of the events that are taking place and not be spoiled. I think you could still read this on its own, but it will spoil things in the other books, and you might be confused about certain things, but Penny does a good job giving you enough info to follow along.

I was pleasantly surprised that this was a full length novel. I'm not sure why I thought this was a novella, but it is in fact a fully developed novel about Dianne and Jason (aka Repo) from beginning to end. If you have been keeping up with the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series as I have, you probably don't like Diane Donner very much. If you've read the books up to this point as I mentioned above, you will know why and there is a reason. She is just starting to redeem herself and in this book we get to know her a bit better as she begins to discover life post divorce. Her ex was a bit of a tyrant, who Diane was eager to please and wanted his approval to the detriment of her relationships with both of her children and those around her. Now that she is recovering from her divorce she wants to have a little fun, so she takes a trip to the local motorcycle bar in search of a little fun and maybe some danger. She finds Repo, who's real name is Jason, who happens to be part of the notorious Iron Wraiths motorcycle club, he's a criminal and she knows it. Repo doesn't want Diane to get hurt, but when she propositions him one thing leads to another and they have a connection atleast for one night. A year passes and they meet again, but this time they decide to take things slow and get to know one another. This is where this book really shines, we get to know them both as people, which we didn't in the previous books. While they may seem like an unusual couple, romance readers know that opposites attract and this is the case here. Jason has a soft side despite his gruff exterior, and Diane is tough as nails when she needs to be. They both complement each other nicely and I really enjoyed getting to know them and watch their relationship develop. We get a ton of backstory that leads up to the events that take place in the other books. I think Penny did a masterful job making sure the storylines matched up without rewriting scenes from the other books verbatim.

This was amazing as are all of Penny's books! I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next! I hope we get an Isaac book soon! He and Hank Weller are the two characters I am most anxious to read about. I know Hank is getting a book in the Good Folk series, but I'm not sure about Isaac. I do highly recommend this book and all of the other books in the Winston Brother series and the Solving for Pie books!

View all my reviews

RELEASE BLITZ: BEARD IN HIDING by Penny Reid

 

Beard in Hiding, an all-new companion novel to the bestselling Winston Brothers and Solving for Pies series is LIVE! Penny Reid delivers a heartfelt romantic comedy about two lost souls who find love in the most unexpected way.  

Propositioning the Iron Wraiths’ money man seemed like a good idea at the time…

Diane Donner—recently divorced pillar of polite society—is craving danger. She’s tired of playing it safe and she knows just the sexy criminal motorcycle man to proposition for a good time. Problem is, she doesn’t actually know his name.

Jason “Repo” Doe never takes risks. So when the queen of local commerce walks into his club, looking to get risky and frisky, Jason knows the smartest thing to do is save himself a headache while saving the new divorcee from her worst impulses.

But then one thing leads to another, and the memory of just-one-night doesn’t feel like enough.

Theirs is a story with no future, because how can a dangerous criminal win (and keep) a queen?

‘Beard In Hiding’ is book #4.5 in the Winston Brothers series, is a full length contemporary romantic comedy about two lost souls in their 40s, and is a companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series.

If you want to get the full immersive Green Valley world experience, I recommend reading ‘Truth or Beard,’ ‘Beard Science,’ ‘Engagement and Espionage,’ and ‘Marriage and Murder’ beforehand. ‘Beard In Hiding’ contains spoilers for these four books (in specific).

Grab your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3snwR4z

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2VU86B5

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3j1f1jJ

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2TDE7fI

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3i6y4tI

Nook: https://bit.ly/3781FMQ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3l6JQ9q

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2URVrOW

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3xa6Ma2

Start the Winston Brothers series TODAY!

Now in Kindle Unlimited!

https://pennyreid.ninja/series/winston-brothers/

About Penny Reid

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

Find Penny online

Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Instagram: www.instagram.com/reidromance

Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

Connect with Smartypants Romance

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kvDnb4

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2lzyduO

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lGdIMQ

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2kwKsYK

Website: https://smartypantsromance.com/

Newsletter: https://smartypantsromance.com/newsletter/

Blog Tour: Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid

Marriage and Murder, an-all new quirky and witty cozy mystery and the second book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!

My full review is posted here, spoiler I loved it!!!

The Devil is in the details . . .
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.

On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?
And most importantly, who done it?

‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’

Download your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bxHvvw
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MarriageMurderPR
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2LqTiBk
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2T5lIVP
Nook: https://bit.ly/2WuiXzm
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Z0eZjD

Excerpt

“Here.” Cletus suddenly appeared, looking devilishly handsome in the dim light and seemingly all put back together—like we’d been in here holding hands instead of. . . ANYWAY.

He held out my underwear. His eyes were bright even in shadow, and I could see they were half-lidded as they lazily trailed over me. He looked at me like he was hungry, and I was dinner. Despite all the encore orgasms I’d just had, the effect hit me right between my legs. 

I wondered what he was thinking, watching as he licked his bottom lip and drew it into his mouth. Was he just as insatiable for me? And if so, was he okay with that?

Tearing my eyes away, I pulled on the lace and fixed my skirt, telling my body to settle down. We were getting married for hootenanny’s sake! 

Cletus cocked his head to the side while I smoothed my hands down the red fabric, working to get a hold of all this raging want always coursing through my veins whenever he was near. Maybe it was because he was my first, and I guess, my only. Was that why I felt so crazed for him all the time? 

“Miraculous,” he said.

I surmised he meant the dress. “Right? The wrinkles are hidden, if there are any. It’s ’cause they ruched the outer fabric at the seams, see?” I turned to the side to show him the seam, and he stepped forward as though he were going to investigate.

Instead, his hands cupped my face and tilted my chin back. He stared at me with a vibrant intensity I felt all the way to my fingertips. “No, Jenn. Not the dress. You.” Cletus gave me a soft kiss, ending it by gently nipping my bottom lip. “You are my miracle.”

I sighed. And I smiled. And I felt like I was walking on a cloud instead of in four-inch heels, which was also probably something of a miracle. “You say the sweetest things.”

“I think you mean, I say the truest things.”

 I laughed, and he kissed my forehead. He held me there, in the dark with his lips pressed to my forehead. “I love you so completely, with every cell in my body. I wonder sometimes if I’d cease to exist—just evaporate or disappear—if anything ever happened to you.”

“No.” I anchored my hands to his wrists and squeezed. “Don’t think like that. We’ve got our whole lives in front of us. There’s nothing anyone can—”

Three bangs in quick succession pierced the quiet moment, and not a second later Cletus had me on the ground beneath him, covering my back with his body.

“Gunshots,” he whispered in my ear. “From the parking lot. Don’t move.” 

Meet Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD
Twitter: @ReidRomance
Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/
Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

Release Blitz: Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid

The Devil is in the details . . .

Marriage and Murder, an-all new quirky and witty cozy mystery and second book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!

Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.

On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?

And most importantly, who done it?

‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’

Download your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bxHvvw
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/MarriageMurderPR
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2LqTiBk
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2T5lIVP
Nook: https://bit.ly/2WuiXzm
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Z0eZjD

Add Marriage and Murder to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2WsIngD

Meet Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD
Twitter: @ReidRomance
Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/
Website: www.pennyreid.ninja

Review: Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid

Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This follows Cletus and Jenn as they approach their wedding day, but just as in Engagement and Espionage, they are caught up in solving a crime in the usually quiet town of Green Valley. It all starts at their engagement party, there is a big scene at the party and the next thing you know there is a murder investigation underway. After weeks go by with no suspect being brought to justice, Cletus and Jenn decide that they are going to put their detective work into action and help Green Valley's finest bring the murder to justice. In the meantime, they have their wedding to plan and other life stresses to deal with. I won't spoil anything for you because learning who dun it is half the fun of reading the book. I thought the mystery element was really fun in addition to the emotional and sometimes steamy scenes we get between Cletus and Jenn. This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster of the best sort. You will laugh, you will cry, you you will say "awww", and repeat.

If you like romantic suspense mixed in with a bit of comedy and some emotion, this is amazing. It is no secret that I'm a huge Penny fan! She hit this one out of the park. Cletus and Jenn are amazing as always, with the two of them navigating their romance amidst a murder investigation but never forgetting how much they love each other. The both have grown so much since Beard Science, and we get to see them both develop quite a bit more as they interact with the other Winston's and their partners. Jenn is still coming out of her Banana Cake Queen shell and learning to be her own person and all of those ideals she was taught aren't necessarily how she should live her life. I also love that she has developed a much healthier relationship with her mother and that she is still holding out hope for Isaac. We also see Cletus soften around the edges a bit. His feelings about his father and getting revenge have shifted a bit and he isn't quite as driven toward his initial goals as he was before. He's also starting to change his attittudes about the people in Green Valley instead of having only one opinion about them forever, I'm looking at you Jackson James.

I really have nothing negative to say about this book other than I want more books in this series ASAP! I love the Winston world and can't wait for more books in Green Valley!

View all my reviews